


Against All Odds

by ariannadi



Series: Arian Lavellan [16]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Makeup Sex, Mild Smut, Outdoor Sex, Post-Dragon Age: Inquisition, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-17
Updated: 2016-04-17
Packaged: 2018-06-02 11:12:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,774
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6563992
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariannadi/pseuds/ariannadi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Misunderstandings lead to a memorable reunion between Arian and Cullen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Against All Odds

Arian tried not to think of it as she and her party returned to camp from Stone-Bear Hold - a situation that had been bothering her since they had arrived in Frostback Basin the day before.

She and Cullen had gotten into a rather heated argument just before she had left for the bog, which involved matters surrounding Ferelden nobles and their behavior toward elven residents within Skyhold. Though they both had agreed that the upper class had no right to treat her kind atrociously, they had both come to a standstill as to what kind of punishment to deal out.

_“So you’re saying we should just let them walk away? Let them continue spouting insults and demands like a farmer does to his cattle?” she had demanded of him, fists on her hips and eyes nearly on fire._

_“That’s not what I’m saying at all!” the Commander had rebutted, in turn. “I’m just suggesting we approach the situation delicately. Ferelden already disapproves of most of the matters we’ve enacted since Corypheus’ defeat; doing something heinous to their highest ranked will only dig the pit between us deeper.”_

_“Do you think I care? They’re squandering my very heritage every time they utter a slur or strike a helpless woman’s cheek. I can’t just stand by and let it happen! Nobility be damned!”_

_“Inquisitor!” Josephine had gasped, and Arian sent an apologetic look her way._

_“Perhaps we should continue this discussion later, once everyone’s calmed down,” Charter, Leliana’s stand-in, piped in persuasively with a worrisome brow._

“You alright, Cupcake?” Dorian suddenly asked, dragging Arian from her thoughts.

“What? Oh, yes,” she answered, twiddling her fingers. “I-I was just thinking of the Avvar… odd that they wouldn’t have any need for us after being away for so long.”

“They managed before the Inquisition showed up,” Bull, who was walking beside Dorian, offered. “Ah well, at least we got to get away from Skyhold for a while. With all of the rifts gone and nowhere to travel, it felt like I was being cooped up.”

“No one said you had to remain with the Inquisition, you know,” came Cassandra from behind them.

As her party began trying to one-up each other, Arian’s mind drifted back to her last conversation with Cullen. She had departed with her team to the basin so quickly, she wondered if she had even given him the chance to defend himself.

_“You had no right to suggest they go unpunished,” she said to him when she stormed into his office._

_The man looked weary, but being Cullen he still held his ground. “I didn’t say anything like that, Arian. I gave my reasons for holding back, I did not suggest they go without a reprimand.”_

_“Cullen, you should know by now how I feel about this matter. I understand the king will likely show up here if I go so far as to spit on some arl’s shoe, but frankly, I don’t care. This sense of treating elves like vermin has gone on long enough and it won't change unless we act. I thought you of all people would understand that.”_

_Now, her Commander looked visibly wounded. “I do understand!” he begged of her, coming out from behind his desk to walk up to her. “You know how much I respect your kind. I only suggested doing what was best for all of us.”_

_The two had stared at one another for what seemed like hours, both refusing to back down._

_“I know.” she finally sighed in disappointment. “But sometimes what’s best isn’t what’s right.” And then she had left._

The elf was so distracted she hadn’t even noticed when they’d arrived at the cliffside camp, her party readying the pulley system to take them to the top of the trees.

“Coming, Boss?” Bull asked, gesturing for her to follow. Arian blinked once and walked onto the lift, keeping her internal dilemma to herself.

As soon as they reached the camp, a scout approached Arian, holding a letter out toward her.

“From the Commander, Your Worship,” he said, and the woman instinctively took the parchment into her own hands. Quickly the scout scurried away, leaving Arian to stare down at the closed letter blankly.

With a sigh, she kept it sealed, instead walking toward her personal hut to rest. She’d read it later, when her thoughts weren’t so cluttered and she knew skimming over it wouldn’t cause her to burst into regretful tears.

 

* * *

 

As it would turn out, the letter ended up going unintentionally unread. A day later, the Inquisitor and her party were called to close a rift on the southern half of the basin, one the scouts had missed on their first outing. This had been followed by an Avvar raid on one of the camps the day after, and then Venatori activity near the beach the day after that.

This left Arian with hardly any time to think about the letter, let alone to read it, but that was quickly solved when Harding approached her upon their arrival at the home camp about a week later.

“Not to freak you out, but we just got word that the Commander is traveling here from Skyhold with some of his officers.” she told the elf.

Arian’s brows perked at this. “Cullen’s coming here? Did he say why?” she asked, briefly recollecting the letter still in her pack.

Harding shrugged. “Said something about overseeing operations in the area; it would make sense considering the last bridge we built in the Approach collapsed into the valley.”

Arian felt her heart sink.

 _Is... that all?_ she asked herself as Harding walked away.

 

* * *

 

One evening, as she was reading near the hearth in her hut at the cliffside camp, Dorian quickly entered and announced that Cullen and his officers had arrived. Swallowing thickly, Arian stood from where she was sitting and made her way outside, watching as scouts parted and saluted their general.

When they saw one another, the Commander made a quick glance to her and nodded in acknowledgment, then proceeded to silently walk to the requisition table with a lieutenant at his side.

Arian felt her throat tighten at the action, her fists clenching and un-clenching as she tried not to cry. Dorian came up beside her, obviously noting the interaction and wanting to know what was going on. As soon as he attempted to ask, Arian walked away, heading back to her hut and slamming the door shut behind her.

Had she completely ruined things for them? The notion swarmed her thoughts as she collapsed onto the makeshift bed of furs covering the ground. With all of her being she attempted to hold back the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes, but it became harder with each shaken breath she took.

A knock on the door had her instantly sitting up, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve.

“Inquisitor?” came Cullen’s voice, and Arian quickly stood.

“Come in,” she called back, crossing her arms.

The man entered and shut the door behind him, his eyes briefly observing the space’s interior. After a moment they settled on the elven woman’s face, and Arian’s breath hitched at the effect the glow of the flames had on his irises.

“Inquisitor, a number of the scouts and I will be heading to Stone-Bear Hold in the morning to see if we can scour some reinforcements for our upcoming operations. We will need all the help we can get,“ the man said, standing firm.

Arian nodded silently in reply. “Thank you for informing me, Commander,” she then muttered, staring down at her feet.

Cullen didn’t immediately leave as she had expected, instead staying put and sending a concerned glance her way.

“Operations weren’t the only reason you came here, were they?” Arian peeped out, her voice nearly cracking.

“No,” Cullen replied, and stepped closer. “I came to discuss our argument, since you failed to reply to my letter.”

The woman felt the tears beading again. There it was. What she had been fearing would come out of this.

“If you… that is, if you feel that what I said was unforgivable, I understand. I… I just wanted to make it clear that I can’t hold you back if you wish to break things off.”

Well, she hadn’t been expecting THAT.

“What?” Arian breathed, her eyes shooting upward to lock with his.

Cullen cleared his throat, but that did nothing to hide the pain now visible on his face. “I… If you wish to end our... relationship… I-I won’t protest.” he concluded broken-heartedly, looking down at the floorboards.

Arian shook her head in disbelief as she processed his words, and the tears sprung loose. Just as Cullen rose his head again at her audible sob, she launched herself at him, her fingers tangling in his hair as her lips crashed against his own. Cullen immediately responded, his arms winding around her waist as he angled his head to deepen the kiss.

 _“You bloody idiot,”_ Arian cried into his mouth, which he took advantage of by sliding his tongue along hers - causing her to swallow her words with a soft moan.

Lifting her into his arms, Cullen moved them both toward the makeshift bed near the hearth, then carefully lowered the woman onto the soft furs.

“Cullen,” Arian whimpered as he crawled over her, a gasp escaping her when his mouth latched onto her throat and he effortlessly left a love bite.

“Arian, my love,” he breathed in response, before his lips slanted over hers again and his hands slid downward to fiddle with the buttons of her overcoat. The elf took the opportunity herself to begin unlatching the various pieces of armor covering the man’s body, starting with the heavy fur pauldrons that adorned his cloak. He helped her in slipping them off, then sat up briefly to place them off to the side.

When they were both completely undressed - which really hadn’t taken much time at all, Cullen’s eyes affectionately roamed over her body, before he leaned in and started planting a trail of kisses between her breasts and down her stomach. Arian sighed at the contrasting sensation of his soft lips and prickly stubble, her fingers clutching at the furs beneath her when he reached the apex of her hips.

Her lover paused in his ministrations to slip his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together and raising them over her head. His other hand made to grip at her waist - his thumb idly stroking along the curve of her flesh. He moved upward again to press gentle kisses to the underside of her jaw, and the elf shivered as his heated breath and tongue made contact with her skin.

 _“Ma vhenan,”_ Arian breathed as she tilted her head, allowing Cullen easier access. Instead, the man nuzzled his nose against the lobe of her ear, then took the skin between his teeth and nibbled it, leaving Arian a quivering puddle beneath him. Lining himself along her center, his hips started thrusting into hers, the woman meeting him midway after she managed to collect her bearings.

All the while the flames of the hearth nearby greedily licked at their bodies, an array of golds and reds dancing across sweat-sheened flesh.

 

* * *

 

They were silent for a time as they lay together hours later, Arian tucked snugly against Cullen’s body with her head resting on his arm. Languidly, the man's fingers stroked at her bare hip, stopping every now and then to offer just the faintest squeeze. Between the heat of the hearth on her back and the soft furs underneath them, the elf could gradually feel herself being pulled toward lulling slumber.

"Did you really think I was going to end things with you?" Arian eventually spoke, her voice quiet and sated. She felt Cullen shrug slightly as he let out a sigh.

"You never replied to my letter... and in it I had asked for your forgiveness. When I didn't get a response, I assume I just feared for the worst."

Arian rose slightly to look him in the eye, before bending forward to press a sweet, lingering kiss to his lips.

"Oh, Cullen," she whispered, pressing another kiss to his brow. "I wasn't in a good state of mind when your letter arrived. And with everything that happened in the days after, it completely slipped my mind. I never... I'd have to be insane to even consider giving up what we have. We had a disagreement, we're going to sometimes. That doesn't mean I stopped loving you, or wanting to be with you."

Cullen nodded, bringing the woman to lay on top of him as his arms coiled around her frame. 

"You must understand, I've never had this with anyone. I truly thought I made a fatal error in our relationship when you didn't write back to me," he explained, his tone serious.

Arian shook her head at him sadly, her fingers coming up to twist around a loose, sweaty curl near his forehead. "I take full responsibility for that fight - and I'm sorry," she said to him. "I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you like I did."

"You had every right to be angry. No one should have to put up with mockery and scorn simply because of what they are."

The elf smiled contentedly at that, moving to lay her head against her lover's chest. Somewhere through the haze of sleep and sex, she could hear the reassuring thrum of his beautiful heartbeat.

"I'm glad you understand. But you still deserve an apology," she murmured, nuzzling her cheek into his skin.

Cullen just tightened his embrace. "I'm just glad I didn't lose you," he confessed in reply.

"Hm, you'd have to do something _extremely_ treacherous for me to call things off between us," Arian commented in good humor.

"Oh? Such as?"

The woman snickered. "What, so you can get ideas?"

Instead of replying, Cullen urged her to look at him with the gentlest touch of his hand, his eyes liquid-like and deep.

"No. So I know what to avoid," he whispered, carefully bringing her closer to slant his mouth over hers. "I... I can't lose you, Arian," he sighed against her lips, which was followed by another tender kiss.

Arian felt her lip quiver as she gazed into his eyes, and with a shaky breath she tucked her head underneath his chin - her body practically melting into his. 

"You never will," she cooed, her eyes softly closing. "I refuse to let it happen."

She registered the rumble of Cullen's chuckle beneath her ear, and then the reassuring weight of his arms around her waist as she drifted off to sleep.

And even though the flames of the hearth beside them were slowly dying, and they had no furs covering their bodies, Arian was positive this was the warmest and safest she had ever been in her entire life.

 

* * *

  

"You sure about this, Dorian? The last time we interfered with their crap we just got yelled at by both of them," Bull said as he followed the mage toward the hut at the edge of the camp.

Dorian just scoffed, instead focusing on his intended destination. 

"I'm positive. Arian looked like she was ready to burst into tears, and Cullen made no effort to act on it." he explained. "I'll be damned if I let him take advantage of her like that, I don't care if he's Commander or not."

Bull tiredly sighed as he continued to follow, before he stopped dead in his tracks, causing Dorian to halt mid-step and look back at him.

"I don't think we need to worry about them," the qunari suddenly said, then turned to head back to the opposite end of the camp.

"What on earth are you talking about? We haven't even talked to her yet!" Dorian hissed as he flung his arms into the air.

Bull, turning his head, just cocked a brow at the other man. "I forget you humans don't have the same senses as us. I can smell the musk from here. Trust me, they're going to be just fine."

Dorian, raising a finger, felt a protest die on his lips as he slowly took in what Bull had said.

"Yeah, you probably don't wanna go in there," Bull laughed as he began walking away. "C'mon, Vint, let's go get us a drink. I'll even buy."

The altus stood dumbstruck for a moment as his eyes flickered from the hut to Bull. Then, clearing his throat and straightening his back, he marched after the qunari with his chin in the air.

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little something I thought up at 3 AM this morning lol
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> **Likes, kudos, reblogs, whatever, are always appreciated - so please leave them if you can!!**
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> [my tumblr here](http://martini-september.tumblr.com)


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